Area under paddy crop increased by 4.4 per cent to 384.05 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing kharif season despite a lag in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday.
However, pulse acreage was down 8.30 per cent at 117.44 lakh hectares as on August 25 as against 128.07 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Tur, urad and moong acreage, too, remained lower.
Kharif (summer) sowing begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, while harvesting starts in October.
Paddy is the main kharif crop as more than 80 per cent of the total rice production is grown during this season.
"We are quite comfortable in paddy area coverage. Sowing is still underway and the window is till September 15," Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh told PTI.
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Paddy acreage has increased to 384.05 lakh hectares as of August 25 in the ongoing kharif season as against 367.83 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Maximum increase in paddy coverage was reported in Bihar at 34.88 lakh hectares, up from 29.8 lakh hectares, followed by Chhattisgarh (37.47 lakh hectares, up from 33.22 lakh hectares) and Telangana (20 lakh hectares, up from 17.36 lakh hectares) in the said period.
The paddy coverage was lagging in Andhra Pradesh at 9.49 lakh hectares as on August 25, lower than 10.69 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Similarly, sowing in Karnataka remained lower at 5.77 lakh hectares as against 7.49 lakh hectares in the said period.
According to the ministry's data, coarse cereal sowing area increased slightly to 178.33 lakh hectares so far this kharif season as against 176.31 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Oilseeds coverage was slightly lagging at 188.58 lakh hectares as against 190.38 lakh hectares.
Among cash crops, area sown to sugarcane rose slightly to 56.06 lakh hectares on August 25 of this kharif season compared with 55.59 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
Cotton and jute coverage have also remained lower at 122.56 lakh hectares and 6.56 lakh hectares, respectively.
Total area covered under all kharif crops, though, was higher at 1,053.59 lakh hectares as on August 25 as against 1,049.96 lakh hectares in the year-ago period.
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